Kingfisher

For other uses, see Kingfisher (disambiguation).

Kingfisher
Azure kingfisher (Ceyx azureus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Suborder: Alcedines
Family: Alcedinidae
Rafinesque, 1815
Subfamilies
      global range of the family
The paradise kingfishers of New Guinea have unusually long tails for the group.
The kookaburra has a birdcall which sounds like laughter.
Like many forest-living kingfishers, the yellow-billed kingfisher often nests in arboreal termite nests.
The black-backed dwarf kingfisher is considered a bad omen by warriors of the Dusun tribe of Borneo.
Forest kingfisher in Queensland

Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but also can be found in Europe and the Americas. They can be found in deep forests near calm ponds and small rivers. The family contains 118 species and is divided into three subfamilies and 19 genera. All kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with only small differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests.

They consume a wide range of prey, usually caught by swooping down from a perch. While kingfishers are usually thought to live near rivers and eat fish, many species live away from water and eat small invertebrates. Like other members of their order, they nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into the natural or artificial banks in the ground. Some kingfishers nest in arboreal termite nests. A few species, principally insular forms, are threatened with extinction. In Britain, the word "kingfisher" normally refers to the common kingfisher.